Olimpia Milano wraps up a historic season; Coach Poeta has silenced his critics

At age 40, on his second attempt (he had lost the LBA Finals last year as head coach of Leonessa Brescia), Poeta won his first Scudetto as a coach. It’s a huge source of satisfaction, especially since it came after a challenging season in which he had to take over the team sooner than expected.

Taking over for Coach Messina in November, he was able to instill calm and confidence in the team, leading them first to the Coppa Italia and then to the Scudetto: “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up,” he said in his post-game comments after the decisive Game 4 against Reyer Venezia.

It was no dream—Coach Poeta’s Olimpia team earned a well-deserved victory on the court. Adding the Italian Super Cup—won with Messina at the helm—the red-and-white club has achieved the first treble in its history. Before the red-and-white club, only Treviso in 2002–03, Siena on three occasions between 2008 and 2011, and Dinamo Sassari in the 2014–15 season had managed to win the treble.

With 32 Scudetti to its credit, Milan continues to hold the top spot among the most successful clubs in the history of Italian basketball. In second place, far behind, is Virtus Bologna with 10 titles.